Meadowsweet Restaurant with Rooms — Restaurant in North Norfolk

I was quite surprised by this. Exceptional. This past two months I’ve eaten at some pretty well known places and have been disappointed. I put it down to Covid staffing issues and, mainly, my own insouciance.

A lovely muted room palette, dressed with simple but beautiful wooden tables (with personal cutlery drawers - a nice touch that was new and also took away some of the fussiness that can come with some restaurants aspiring to great things). Very comfortable chairs, which is important when they’re supporting you for the next 3 hours or so…

This was one of the most delicious meals I’ve had in a long time. A beautiful few amuse bouche - tastes of chesse, pate and an incredible celeriac - led to the most wonderful lobster ravioli. This is a dish that is not unfamiliar, but here it was taken to a different level with pearls of lemon verbena…astounding, all the more so for taking something that seemed too obvious on the menu and making it fresh and new. To follow: a Jerusalem artichoke that had been confited to some other plain, paired with Hen of the Woods; a delicious John Dory fillet with a sauce of (IIRC) capers and salmon roe sauce(?), paired with some fresh veggies - not as simple as it sounds (who peeled those potatoes!!), and nice to have some of your 5 a day! Meat was a solid Angus/Dexter cross beef dish(a snail-slow cooked cut and a more traditional cut - can’t remember which!) that was pitched perfectly. Mushroom sauce, am I remembering? At this point the wine was working well:) The Black Forest gateaux to finish was sublime. I am not a desert person, and can take or leave, but this was a masterful layered inside-out creation that hit a fantastic balance of sweetness and freshness, despite the dish’s heritage as 1970’s freezer sugar fodder!

After some debate and consideration we went for the really well selected wine pairing (to the point where we went back again on one or two - a highlight being the Alheit Cartology 2019…exceptional). I must say that the wine list is also incredibly good value. It’s not huge, which is definitely a good thing for all but the most pompous of oeniophiles, and there was a mix of the familiar and new, which for most people takes the pressure out of choosing wine (although knowledgable assistance was always available!) Perhaps I’m just too used to London prices, but seeing a wine list where I was given so many good options in the £30s (and even the - shock horror -£20s) price points struck me as a wonderful anomaly, and a reason to go back alone!

The cooking was matched by wonderful and personable front of house by the patrons. Thank you.

I really wish I didn’t have to post this review because it will go towards the fact that I won’t be able to get a table so easily in the future, but it is important you know this so you book and visit, as these tiny, special restaurants dotted around the country do need your business to survive and thrive. And thrive it must: cooking at this level is a rare treat but will only thrive with your patronage. But Meadowsweet team: please...

Meadowsweet is the best restaurant for some considerable distance. The jewel in the crown of East Anglian dining.

Every time we revisit, they've progressed. The rye and beer bread, ever so slightly better than the loaf on our last visit, and it was delicious last time. The canapés, always a highlight, were tuned to the season and impeccable, beautiful, and delectable. Brill Brawn, and mussel with vadovan sauce, exquisite.

Veal sweetbread and lobster with peanut ("satay") sauce, inspired.

The steamed comté soufflé, the best cheese soufflé I've ever had, elegant, light yet full of flavour.

Hare Royale, rich with pork fat, heady with spices. The cinnamon aroma alone, intoxicating.

White chocolate wasn't my thing (although my wife loved it), but tipsy cake was a fantastic end to the meal, but it wasn't the end. Perhaps the best was saved to last. Classic lemon tart, extraordinary.

The food is on a different level, far beyond the typical one-star. I've had worse two star meals, and Michelin need to upgrade their rating. This is easily two star standard.

Rebecca and Greg are the perfect hosts, making every visit like a visit to your most convivial friend's home, friends with the best food, and not forgetting fantastic wines.

If you've not been, go, just leave some slots...

Never ever anything other than perfection. We have been all over and can honestly say we consider this to be the very best that a restaurant can be.

In the kitchen Greg is nothing other than a genius with a brilliant and passionate team. The menu is always perfectly balanced showcasing extraordinary skill with ingredients celebrating seasons and stories. Out front Rebecca's knowledge, passion and palate ensures the wine (always go for the fine pairing!) and the experience is every bit the equal to the food journey.

Each dish inspires joy and, often, awe at the thought, creativity and skill that has gone into it. We always try and fail to pick what was our favourite. And the pairings perfectly mix big hitters and hidden gem discoveries that only come from total dedication and encyclopaedic knowledge.

These are two absolute masters of their craft, who have dedicated themselves to creating perfection. An evening at Meadowsweet is an education every time. And yet, whilst eating and drinking on another level, one feels like one's being looked after in the home of friends. On any and every metric, Meadowsweet is five...